Interlocking elongate articles and bundles thereof



March 9, 3 1 J. c. FISHER ETAL I 3,081,371

INTERLOCKING ELONGATE ARTICLES AND BUNDLES THEREOF Filed Ndv. 8. 1960INVENTORS JAMES c. FISHER /0 JOHN E CLARK /4 FRANK H. LEE

zf Jw .ZZ ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,081,871 INTERLOQKING ELONGATEARTICLES AND BUNDLES THEREOF James C. Fisher, New Kensington, John F.Clark, Bethel Park, and Frank H. Lee, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors toAluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pin, a

corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 67,969 2Qlairns. (Cl. 2ll66) This invention relates to individual similarelongate articles which are exteriorly configurated in such a mannerthat they can be oriented with each other to provide an interlockingcoplanar layer of the same, and from which tiered stacks comprising aplurality of such similar layers, as shipping bundles, can be provided.The invention is particularly adapted to provide an elongate metal ingotcapable of interlocking assembly with an adjacent similar ingot inminimal space-occupying relationship to constitute a coplanar layer oftwo or more ingots, as well as stacked tiers of such similar coplanarlayers.

The invention hereinafter described and illustrated has found particularadaptation in the metal ingot field, where it has been conventionalpractice to provide elongate cast ingots of various cross-sectionalconfiguration to conventional or desired predetermined individual weightrequirements. While the invention has been found to be of specialutility in connection with such ingot practice, it will be manifest thatit is equally applicable to other elongate articles, and it is thereforenot the intention to confine or limit the present invention, in itsbroader aspects, to any specific article of commerce or manufacture.

ingots of varying individual weights are in regular commercial demandfrom the standpoint that they can be manually handled and theirindividual weights represent convenient single and multiple additions informulating metallurgical alloy compositions. However, the weight andsize of such conventional individual ingots often introducestime-consuming and excessive labor costs in their bulk handling withconventional material-handling equip ment, such as provided by craneservice and lift-trucks capable of handling and transporting many timesthe weight of each individual ingot, without first providing bundles ofa number of the individual ingots tied together by surrounding wires orbands, the bundles themselves being otherwise well within the capacityof the aforesaid conventional mechanical handling equipment.

Considerable difliculty, however, is still being experienced inpresently employed bundled ingot practices particularly because of aninherent tendency of the individual ingots to slip endwise in respect oftheir parallel longitudinal axes in a bound bundle thereof, and evenwhen some provision has been made for interengagement between adjacentindividual ingots in stacked and/or bound bundles in an effort toprevent or alleviate their endwise axial movement, anything but anefficient ratio of transverse cross-sectional area of the ingots to thevoids therebetween prevails, thereby resulting in inefficient volumetricspace occupied by such bundles and stacks of ingots.

Substantially static bundles of individual articles, such as elongateingots, in compact and efficient space-saving association of theindividual articles in the bundles thereof, is essential totransportation, shipping and handling of the same to gain any advantageover bulk handlingof the "ice individual articles. For example, capacityratings, dimensions and clearance tolerances of conventional carriersregulate the height to which a product or load can be built above theplatform bed of the carrier, and a pay load can be greatly reduced by aninefficient volumetric ratio of product to voids within a bundle made upfrom individual product articles. Instability of the bundles is alsodisadvantageous and can be disastrous if and when the individualarticles of the bundle, or unitary bundles of the articles, are capableof shifting relative to themselves into an unbalanced condition and/ orinefiicient occupation of space assigned thereto.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide anelongate article, such as a metal ingot, configurated in respect of itstransverse cross-section and exterior surfaces to permit coplanarside-by-side assembly with an adjacent similarly configurated article ininterlocked surface contacting assembly therewith against substantialrelative axial or endwise movement.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elongate article, suchas an ingot, capable of surface contacting assembly with an adjacentsubstantially identical article in minimal space-occupying relationship.

An object of the invention is to also provide an elongate ingot ofgenerally quadrilateral transverse cross-section defined by two oppositesubstantially parallel sides and the remaining two sides oppositely butequally inclined to the first two parallel sides, and having anoutwardly projecting lug on one of the inclined sides and a recess inthe opposite inclined side thereof, the lug and recess being locatedintermediate the axial length of the ingot, and the lug beinginterengageably receivable within the recess of an adjacentlongitudinally inverted similar ingot in inclined surface contactingrelationship therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide an elongate ingot havingtwo oppositely disposed substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces,respectively, and two similarly but oppositely inclined side surfaces,and having a projecting lug on one of the inclined side surfaces and arecess in the opposite inclined side surface, the lug and the recesseach preferably extending the full depth of the ingot in respect to itstop and bottom substantially parallel surfaces, and the lug of one ingotbeing receivable within the recess of a similar longitudinally invertedingot when both ingots are supported on a surface coplanar with the topsurface of one and bottom surface of the other ingot with adjacentlydisposed inclined side surfaces of the two ingots in surface contact ina common inclined plane to provide a side-by-side layer of two similaringots.

A still further object of the invention is to provide laterallysurface-contacting and interengaged coplanar layers of articles oringots in tiered stacked arrangement thereof bound and secured insubstantially static bundles thereof.

Other objects and advantages Will be understood by those versed in theart to which the invention appertains on consideration of the followingdescription, and illustrations, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an elongate article or ingot of the invention inbottom plan view;

FIG. 2 illustrates the article of FIG. 1 in inverted side elevationalView;

FIG. 3 illustrates a transverse section taken on the plane 33 of FIG. 2in spaced coplanar juxtaposition to 3 a longitudinally inverted similaringot illustrated in end elevation;

FIG. 4 illustrates an end elevation of a plurality of elongate articlesof the invention in side-by-side inclined side surface contacting andinterengaged assembly to produce a coplanar layer of the same;

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a tiered bound stack or bundle ofthe elongate articles of the invention in perspective view; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a fragmentary elevational view of the lower portionof the tiered bound stack of FIG. 5-.

It will be observed from reference to the illustrations of the inventionthat an elongate article or ingot has been provided of generallyquadrilateral transverse cross-section having a substantially fiat topsurface lit, a bottom substantially parallel surface 12, and equally andoppositely inclined lateral side surfaces 14 and 16 convergingdownwardly from the wider top surface to its narrower bottom surface 12.Opposite and equally inclined end surfaces 18 and as complete theenclosing surfaces or walls of the solid body of the elongate article oringot, except as hereinafter described.

An outwardly projecting generally wedge-shaped lug 22 is provided in theform of an integral and contiguous surface configuration of the lateralor side surface 14 of the elongate article substantially midway of itsaxial length, the lug preferably blending with the upper longitudinaledge of the ingot in the plane of the top surface in and presenting anoutwardly facing rectangular plane surface inclined or tapereddownwardly to the bottom surface 12 intersecting the plane thereof in alower lug edge 28 parallel to the lower bottom longitudinal edge formedby the bottom plane surface 12. Triangular end walls 24 and 26 completethe exposed surface-defining configuration of the lug 22, with its loweredge 28 terminating inwardly of the parallel upper edge formed by theintersection of inclined side surface 14 and upper surface 10.

A recess 30 is provided in the opposite side surface 16 of the elongatearticle or ingot in substantial axial registry with the aforesaid lug22. The recess is formed by a flat rectangular surface preferablyoriginating in the longitudinal edge formed by the intersection of thebottom plane surface 12 and inclined side plane surface 16, and

diverges outwardly and upwardly therefrom to provide an upperterminating edge 32 in the plane of the top surface 12 parallel to andinwardly disposed in respect to the top longitudinal edge of theelongate article or ingot formed by the intersection of the plane topsurface 10 and inclined plane side surface 16. The end walls 34 and 36of the recess 3% are triangular in shape as in the case of the lug 22.

From an inspection of the illustration in FIG. 3, it will be observedthat two identical elongate articles or ingots have been shown incoplanar slightly separated disposition in respect of .their inclinedside walls 14 and 1 6, which has necessitated inversion of one of thearticles about its longitudinal axis. This disposition of the twoelognate articles presents the lug 22 of one in registry with the recessso of the other, thereby permitting lateral side-by-side assembly of thetwo articles in inclined surface-contacting relationship over the axiallength of their side walls 14 and 16 on entry of the lug 22 into therecess 3b, as best illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

The outwardly facing inclined rectangular plane surface of a lug 22preferably coincides with and abuts the inwardly facing or depressedinclined rectangular plane surface of a recess 39 in longitudinalinverted interlocking coplanar disposition of a pair of the elongatearticles of the invention, the overall longitudinal aixal width of a lug22 and triangular end walls 24 and 26 being slightly less than theoverall longitudinal axial width of the recess 3% and its triangular endwalls 34 and 36 to insure facile and ready interlocking coplanarassembly of the paired adjacent inverted articles. in this regard, theinclined and tapered disposition of the triangular end walls 24 and 26of a lug cooperate with the similarly inclined and tapered triangularend walls 34 and 36 of a recess an to pilot a lug 22 of one ingot intothe recess 30 of an adjacent ingot in coplanar axially invertedside-by-side lateral contacting disposition therewith.

The elongate article or ingot of the invention is preferably furtherconfigurated to provide axially extending end flanges as and 42, ofsubstantially less thickness than the depth or height of the article,with upper surfaces thereof coplanar with the top plane surface 10 ofthe article, the flanges providing conventional manual gripping,fork-lift and sling-handling surfaces therefor. The flanges 4t and 4 2are also provided with medially disposed notches 44 as well as depressedtransversely disposed grooves or notches 46 in the bottom plane surface12 of the article, for receiving conventional banding strips or wires(FIG. 5), as will be hereinafter described in more detail.

Since an ingot is representative of an elongate article responding tothe configurated'product thus far described, and because of the furtherfact that the term ingot normally implies its fabrication by casting, itwill be observed that all of the exposed lateral surfaces of theillustrated article, angularly disposed in respect of the substantiallyparallel flat plane surfaces It: and 12 defining the top and bottomsurfaces of the article, converge or slope downwardly towards thesubstantially flat parallel narrower or transversely shorter bottomsurface '12, and thus provide draft in respect to the Walls of a mold ormatrix defining such inclined surfaces to thereby permit facile andready removal of the article from the mold producing the same. The samedraft conditions obtain in respect of the triangular end walls 24 and 26of the lug 22 and the triangular end walls 34 and 36 of the recess 30,the base chords or lines defining these triangular walls, locatingrespectively the outwardly projecting thickened edge 28 of the lug 22and inwardly depressed edge 32 of the recess 30, providing immediatedraft clearance for the outwardly facing rectangular flat inclinedsurface of the lug 22, and its triangularend walls 24- and 26, andsimilar draft clearance for the inwardly depressed rectangular flatinclined surface of the recess 30, and its triangular end walls 34 and36. Similar downwardly inclined converging draft surfaces have beenincorporated in the transverse sloping walls of the bottom transversegrooves 46, the depth-defining exterior walls of the end flanges 40 land42, as well as the walls defining the medially disposed notches 'orgrooves 44 in the end flanges 40 and 42 and inclined end walls 18 and20. It will, however, be manifest that other fabricating processes, suchas forging, or combined forging and casting techniques, could beemployed to produce similar elongate articles in accordance with thescope of the invention, while obtaining the advantages thereof.

It will be observed that :a coplanar layer composed of any selectednumber of the individual elongate articles may be assembled, asillustrated in FIG. 4, to provide a side-by-side longitudinal surfacecontacting arrangement or bundle thereof in lug-within-recessinterlocking relationship between alternating upright and longitudinally inverted articles. An assembled coplanar layer (FIG. 4) canalso be transversely bound to provide a unitary one layer static bundleof the articles by banding strips or wires in exterior-surfacearticle-embracing relationship aligned within the transverse grooves 46in the exposed bottom surfaces 1210f the articles in registry with thebanding members, in accordance with conventional banding practices.

The coplanar layer of FIG. 4 is typical and representative of anincrement layer or row of the articles or ingots of the invention inproviding multilayer tiered stacks or bound bundles thereof, and in thisconnection superposed coplanar layers similar to that illustrated inFIG. 4 have been stacked or tiered, preferably in alternately invertedlayer arrangement, with the longitudinal axes of the articles disposedin parallel arrangement and in substantial vertical alignment in thetiered rows or layers thereof. Stacked in this parallel and verticallyaligned manner, two-directional banding has been employed by embracingthe exterior surfaces of the articles or ingots with conventionalbanding members in alignment with the outwardly directed transversebottom surface grooves 46 and longitudinally axially disposed end flangeslots 44, in accordance with conventional banding practices.

Preferential selection of the transverse width and length dimensions ofan individual elongate article or ingot of the invention has alsoresulted in expanded utility and economy of the invention. For example,the overall maximum transverse width of the five similar articlesforming the coplanar layer of FIG. 4 is substantially equal to theoverall axial length of each individual elongate article or ingot in thecoplanar layer measured in terms of the extremities of the axiallyprojecting end surfaces of the end flanges 40 and 42 (FIG. 2). Thissubstantially dimensional equality also prevails in respect to themaximum transverse width of the bottom coplanar layer of the tieredstack of ingots illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. Therein the bottomcoplanar layer is composed of four identical elongate articles of theinvention in upright longitudinal upper or top edge contactingarrangement, with the aligned end flanges 40 and 42 thereof elevatedabove the common base surface of the bottom surfaces 12 of theindividual articles, thus providing a pallet and permitting lateralentry therebelow of the spaced prongs or blades of a conventionalfork-truck, or similar handling device, including the conventional slingof a hoist or crane.

The bound tiered stack or bundle of superposed layers of elongatearticles or ingots of the invention, illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6,represents an embodiment which has met with successful commercialacceptance. Therein the bottom row of four upright articles or ingotsserves as a pallet for eight coplanar layers of five ingots each (FIG.4) in superposed alternating 90 disposition of the adjacent coplanarlayers on the upper substantially flat plane surface presented by thetop surfaces of the bottom upright row or layer of ingots. Bandingstrips 50 have been employed to encompass and bind the tiered stack of90 alternatingly disposed tiered coplanar layers as a separate bundle,the bands or strips 50 being received within the depressed transversegrooves 46 in the lowermost coplanar layer and Within the slots 44 inthe articles of the uppermost layer in closest vertical registry withthe grooves 46. The banding strips 52, in turn, have been employed tosecure the bottom row of upright pallet providing articles or ingots inunitary attachment to the separately bound superposed layers (FIGS. 4, 5and 6) supported thereon by encompassing the exterior surfaces of theunitary bundle thus formed, the banding strips '52 being received withinthe depressed transverse grooves 46 in the bottom surfaces 12 of thebottom upright row or layer of ingots, as Well as within the bottomgrooves 4-6 in the outboard inverted ingots or articles of the uppermostcoplanar layer of the same. It will be understood and appreciated thatthe sequence or order of applying the banding strips 50 and 52 may bereversed from that previously described, or be performed simultaneously,conventional banding equipment permitting such varying practices.

The unitary tiered or stacked bundle of FIGS. 5 and 6 has been modifiedin the commercial practice of the invention to dispose the individualingots or articles in the coplanar rows or layers exemplified by FIG, 4,as well as in the bottom row or layer of upright articles serving as thepallet therefor, in parallel longitudinal axial arrangement of theingots or articles. By this modification of the bundle of FIGS. 5 and 6,it has been possible to increase or decrease the number of articles oringots in each coplanar layer (FIG. 4) of a tiered stack or bound bundleof such coplanar layers and select the number of articles or ingots inthe bottom upright pallet layer supporting the same to accommodate thedimension of a final bundle so produced in the horizontal directionnormal to the uniform axial length of the longitudinally axiallyparallel ingots or articles in the upright pallet layer and superposedcoplanar layers supported thereon.

It will be manifest that the coplanar layer stacking and bundlingsystems hereinabove described permit flexible selection of bundle andstack sizes to meet Weight requirements in a wide variety of singlecoplanar layer and tiered coplanar layer bundles or stacks of theindividual ingots or articles of the invention, in terms of efiicientuse of available space.

It is to be understood that the invention described hereinabove is notto be limited in any way other than as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A vertically tiered and bound stack of horizontal coplanar uniformheight layers of similar articles, such as ingots, longitudinallyinterlocked in parallel axial arrangement in each coplanar layer againstsubstantial relative longitudinal movement, each coplanar layerconsisting of alternately upright and longitudinally inverted similararticles each having a wide top and a narrower bottom surface defined bysubstantially flat parallel surfaces and equally and oppositely inclinedenclosing plane side surfaces, a longitudinally centrally located lugcarried by one inclined side surface of each article and a depression inthe opposite inclined side surface thereof in longitudinal registry withthe lug, adjacent articles in each alternately upright andlongitudinally inverted coplanar layer of the articles having a sidesurface lug on one article disposed entirely within a side surfacedepression of an adjacent article in axially restraining relationshiptherebetween and the adjacent inclined side surfaces of the articlesotherwise coincident in side surface coplanar abutment, the saidcoplanar layers each having a similar number of articles and verticallytiered similar coplanar layers being in substantially vertical registrywith the longitudinal axes of the individual articles in paralleldisposition, a coplanar bottom pallet layer of the articles in uprightdisposition below and in supporting contact with the superposed tieredalternately upright and longitudinally inverted coplanar layers, saidbottom pallet layer having its articles in top upper adjacent contactinglongitudinal edge-contacting relationship with the longitudinal axes ofthe articles in parallel with the same axes of the articles in thecoplanar layers thereabove, and at least one banding and securing memberencompassing the tiered stack in the plane transverse to thelongitudinal parallel axes of all of the articles.

2. A vertically tiered and bound stack or bundle of similar elongatearticles, such as ingots, each article being of transverse quadrilateralcross-section having a wide top and a narrower bottom surface defined bysubstantially parallel plane surfaces and equally and oppositelyinclined enclosing plane side surfaces, a longitudinally centrallylocated lug projecting outwardly from the inclined plane of one sidesurface of each article in longitudinal registry with a recess depressedin the opposite inclined side surface thereof, the recess being invertedin respect to the lug and the lug and recess extending over the entiredepth of the inclined side surfaces, horizontal coplanar uniform heightlayers of the articles in alternately upright sidebyside relationshipwith a lug received entirely within a recess in inclined coplanarcoextensive side surface-contacting assembly of adjacent articles beingrelatively restrained through longitudinal engagement of the lugs withinthe recesses, a bottom coplanar pallet layer of upright articles in topupper marginal edge contacting relationship having a maximum transversewidth substantially equal to the maximum transverse width of eachalternately upright coplanar layer of the articles tiered thereabove,the said maximum transverse widths of both coplanar layers beingsubstantially equal to the axial length of each similar article, saidalternately upright coplanar layers being superposed in substantiallyvertical registry and alter- 5 nately offset 90 to each other upon andin substantially vertical registry with the upper plane surface of thebottom upright coplanar pallet layer of articles, and at least onebanding strip extending and secured around the tiered stack in thetransverse plane of the bottom upright co- 1Q planar pallet layer ofarticles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FrearOct. 22,

Wilson Oct. 18,

Gill Apr; 15,

Mendel Jan. 5,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 2,

1. A VERTICALLY TIERED AND BOUND STACK OF HORIZONTAL COPLANAR UNIFORM HEIGHT LAYERS OF SIMILAR ARTICLES, SUCH AS INGOTS, LONGITUDINALLY INTERLOCKED IN PARALLEL AXIAL ARRANGEMENT IN EACH COPLANAR LAYER AGAINST SUBSTANTIAL RELATIVE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT, EACH COPLANAR LAYER CONSISTING OF ALTERNATELY UPRIGHT AND LONGITUDINALLY INVERTED SIMILAR ARTICLES EACH HAVING A WIDE TOP AND A NARROWER BOTTOM SURFACE DEFINED BY SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT PARALLEL SURFACES AND EQUALLY AND OPPOSITELY INCLINED ENCLOSING PLANE SIDE SURFACES, A LONGITUDINALLY CENTRALLY LOCATED LUG CARRIED BY ONE INCLINED SIDE SURFACE OF EACH ARTICLE AND A DEPRESSION IN THE OPPOSITE INCLINED SIDE SURFACE THEREOF IN LONGITUDINAL REGISTRY WITH THE LUG, ADJACENT ARTICLES IN EACH ALTERNATELY UPRIGHT AND LONGITUDINALLY INVERTED COPLANAR LAYER OF THE ARTICLES HAVING A SIDE SURFACE LUG ON ONE ARTICLE DISPOSED ENTIRELY WITHIN A SIDE SURFACE DEPRESSION OF AN ADJACENT ARTICLE IN AXIALLY RESTRAINING RELATIONSHIP THEREBETWEEN AND THE ADJACENT INCLINED SIDE SURFACES OF THE ARTICLES OTHERWISE COINCIDENT IN SIDE SURFACE COPLANAR ABUTMENT, THE SAID COPLANAR LAYERS EACH HAVING A SIMILAR NUMBER OF ARTICLES AND VERTICALLY TIERED SIMILAR COPLANAR LAYERS BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL REGISTRY WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES IN PARALLEL DISPOSITION, A COPLANAR BOTTOM PALLET LAYER OF THE ARTICLES IN UPRIGHT DISPOSITION BELOW AND IN SUPPORTING CONTACT WITH THE SUPERPOSED TIERED ALTERNATELY UPRIGHT AND LONGITUDINALLY INVERTED COPLANAR LAYERS, SAID BOTTOM PALLET LAYER HAVING ITS ARTICLES IN TOP UPPER ADJACENT CONTACTING LONGITUDINAL EDGE-CONTACTING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE ARTICLES IN PARALLEL WITH THE SAME AXES OF THE ARTICLES IN THE COPLANAR LAYERS THEREABOVE, AND AT LEAST ONE BANDING AND SECURING MEMBER ENCOMPASSING THE TIERED STACK IN THE PLANE TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL PARALLEL AXES OF ALL OF THE ARTICLES. 